Manipulation of media content to overcome user impairments

ABSTRACT

A system, process and software that incorporate the subject disclosure may include, for example, identifying a condition that causes an impaired perception of an original media content item during a presentation. A media content modification is determined, wherein application of the media content modification to the original media content item results in a modified media content item. The modified media content item, when presented to the media presentation device, ameliorates the impaired perception of the media content item. The media content modification is applied to the original media content item resulting in the modified media content item. The modified media content item is presented at the media presentation device contemporaneously with the original media content item, allowing different viewers to observe the modified media content item simultaneously with the original. Other embodiments are disclosed.

RELATED APPLICATION(S)

U.S. Pat. No. 8,446,462, filed Oct. 15, 2009, by Behzad Shahraray etal., entitled “Method and System for Time-Multiplexed Shared Display.”All sections of the aforementioned application(s) are incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The subject disclosure relates to a manipulation of media content toovercome user impairments.

BACKGROUND

Media content items are routinely distributed to a wide variety ofelectronic devices include fixed in-home entertainment systems,conferencing systems, and mobile devices, such as tablet devices andmobile phones. Consumers of media content generally experiencepresentation of the media content according to a wide variety ofdifferent settings that can affect a consumer's experience.

Examples of media content include audio, video and, more generally,multimedia, e.g., including aspects of audio and video. Mobile consumersroutinely experience a rich selection of multimedia features includingstreaming audio and/or streaming video by way of extensive Internetconnectivity to their mobile devices. Likewise, home consumers alsoenjoy access to extensive catalogues of media according to richbroadcast schedules, and video on demand. Consumer experience willlargely depend upon numerous factors, including contexts in which themedia content is presented, devices upon which the media content ispresented, and in some instances, characteristics of the consumersthemselves, e.g., preferences.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are notnecessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative embodiment of media processing systemthat compensates media content items;

FIG. 2 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a display device operatingin portions of the system described in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a process operating inportions of the system described in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication system thatprovides media services including media content compensation asdisclosed in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a web portal forinteracting with the media processing system of FIG. 1 and thecommunication systems of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication device; and

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic representation of a machine in the form of acomputer system within which a set of instructions, when executed, maycause the machine to perform any one or more of the methods describedherein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It is conceivable that in at least some circumstances, one or more ofthe context, the device or the user can contribute to a consumerexperience during presentation of the media content presentation that issubstandard. By way of brief example, some factors that can impair mediapresentation experience include environmental conditions, such asambient lighting and/or sound level, device conditions, such as displaysize and/or resolution, the nature of the content, e.g., animation,movie, or sports, and human preferences and/or impairments, such asindividual disabilities.

The subject disclosure describes, among other things, illustrativeembodiments of systems, processes and software that identify a conditionincluding a human impairment that causes an impaired perception of anoriginal media content item presented at a media presentation device. Amodification is determined according to the condition, such thatapplication of the modification to the original content item results ina modified content item that when viewed by a user experiencing thecondition, ameliorates the impaired perception of the original mediacontent item. Other embodiments are included in the subject disclosure.

One embodiment of the subject disclosure includes a process includingidentifying, by a system including a processor, a condition that causesan impaired perception of an original media content item during apresentation of the original media content item at a media presentationdevice. A media content modification is determined, wherein applicationof the media content modification to the original media content itemresults in a modified media content item that when presented to themedia presentation device ameliorates the impaired perception of themedia content item. The media content modification is applied to theoriginal media content item resulting in the modified media contentitem. The modified media content item is presented at the mediapresentation device contemporaneously with the original media contentitem. The original media content item is observable at the mediapresentation device by a first user without the first user being able toobserve the modified media content item. Likewise, the modified mediacontent item is observable at the media presentation device by a seconduser experiencing the condition without the second user being able toobserve the original media content item.

Another embodiment of the subject disclosure includes a system, having aprocessor and a memory that stores executable instructions. Theexecutable instructions, when executed by the processor, facilitateperformance of operations including identifying a condition that causesan impaired perception of an original media content item during apresentation of the original media content item at a media presentationdevice. A media content modification is determined, wherein applicationof the media content modification to the original media content itemresults in a modified media content item that when presented to themedia presentation device ameliorates the impaired perception of themedia content item. The media content modification is applied to theoriginal media content item resulting in the modified media contentitem. The modified media content item is presented at the mediapresentation device contemporaneously with the original media contentitem. The original media content item is viewable at the mediapresentation device by a first user without the first user being able toview the modified media content item. Likewise, the modified mediacontent item is viewable at the media presentation device by a seconduser experiencing the condition without the second user being able toview the original media content item.

Yet another embodiment of the subject disclosure includes amachine-readable storage medium including executable instructions. Theexecutable instructions, when executed by a processor, facilitateperformance of operations including identifying a condition that causesan impaired perception of an original media content item during apresentation of the original media content item at a presentationdevice. A media content modification is determined, wherein applicationof the media content modification to the original media content itemresults in a modified media content item. The modified media contentitem, when presented to the media presentation device, ameliorates theimpaired perception of the media content item. The media contentmodification is applied to the original media content item resulting inthe modified media content item. The modified media content item ispresented at the media presentation device contemporaneously with theoriginal media content item. The original media content is viewable atthe media presentation device by a first user without the first userbeing able to view the modified media content. Likewise, the modifiedmedia content item is viewable at the media presentation device by asecond user experiencing the condition without the second user beingable to view the original media content.

Personalization of content can be utilized to match a condition, such asa person's impairments, localized viewing conditions, the content natureitself, and viewing device. In some embodiments, two or more duplicatepresentations of the same media content item can be provided, with theduplicate item(s) modified to address the condition. Presentation and/ordisplay of duplicate video content items can be accomplished by displaydevices having a resolution, screen-size, or pixel density, that issufficient to display each of the duplicate items with an acceptableresolution and/or screen-size. This is particularly relevant for spatialmultiplexing. For broadcast transport techniques, such as streamingvideo, sufficient visual space is required such that each of theduplicate items is delivered with an acceptable resolution and/orscreen-size.

By way of example, a higher resolution video technology, such as highdefinition can be used to deliver duplicates of a lower resolution videotechnology, such as standard definition. Even greater resolutiontechnology, such as ultra-high definition television (UDTV) can be usedto deliver presentation of duplicate items with a lower resolutionand/or screen size, such as high definition or standard definition. WithUDTV streams, the extra visual space, or pixels, can be utilized toprovide several versions of content without the need for specializedexternal equipment (e.g., glasses). In a room with five viewers, eachviewer may be faced with individual viewing preferences: eliminatingglare conditions from the room and ambient light, personal preferencefor certain scenes (e.g., blurry action scenes make this person dizzy),or individual impairments (astigmatism making edges of people or objectsblurry). Until now, global changes could be made to the content playbackdevice (e.g., higher contrast, brighter environment), but those changesdo not uniformly improve viewing quality for each viewer. Additionally,in environments where users switch between different playback devices(from TV to personal mobile device), any or all of these conditions mustbe taken into consideration once more for the optimal viewingexperience.

From a content provider perspective, an ability to provide duplicatemedia content items modified to address one or more various conditionsincluding human impairments, would help the provider meet (and surpass)Americans with Disability Act and impairment regulations by personallyaddressing usability needs. Content creators would also benefit fromsuch techniques, because they can specify visually critical aspects oftheir content (an actor or object should always appear particularlysharp) or dynamically adjust their content (an object should appear redin low light contexts and blue in bright light contexts).

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a media processing system100 that compensates media content items. The system includes a mediaprocessor 102, such as a set-top box, a display device 104 and an audiosystem 106. The media processor 102 is in communication with a mediaserver 110 by way of an intervening network 112. The media server 110,in turn, is in communication with one or more of a media contentdatabase 114 or a media content source, such as a studio 116.

In operation, media content is obtained from one or more of the mediacontent database 114 or the studio 116 and presented to the mediaprocessor 102 by way of the network 112. Without limitation, the network112 can be a packet-switched network, such as the Internet, or aprovider's network, such as a cable network. Although a single network112 is illustrated, it is understood that the network 112 can includeone or more networks implementing similar and/or different technologies.By way of brief example, a media processor 102 in a mobile device, suchas a tablet device can communicate with a remote media server by way ofa wireless mobile network with a cross connection to the Internet,allowing the mobile media processor to receive media content via anetwork 112 including at least the Internet and a local wireless mobilenetwork.

In some embodiments, the media content server 110 is operated by a mediacontent service provider, such as a cable service provider. The mediacontent server 110 can obtain media content, e.g., broadcast ormulticast content from a broadcast network. Alternatively or inaddition, the media content server 110 can obtain media content from astored media content repository, such as the media content databaseand/or the studio 116. Accordingly, the media content server 110 canprovide media content items in a broadcast mode to a large number ofindividuals, and/or as a video on demand service, e.g., to individualuser(s) as demanded by equipment of the users.

Media content items can include video and audio-video content, such asmovies, television programs, and the like. Alternatively or in addition,the media content items can include audio and/or data. The mediacontent, be it audio, video or audio-video, can be delivered to themedia processor 102 according to any suitable transport protocol.Examples of such media content transport protocols include streamingmedia protocols, well suited for delivery of high-quality media contentvia a network, such as the packet switched network 112.

The media processor 102 can include set-top box devices, personalcomputing devices, and portable devices such as tablet devices or mobilephones, e.g., smartphones. Depending on the transport network, the mediaprocessor 102 can include a tuner, e.g., selectively to among a numberof media distribution channels, e.g., on an over-the-air and/or cablenetwork broadcast. The media processor 102 can also include one or moremedia decoders, such as a video decoder, an audio decoder, and a datadecoder, e.g., closed captioning or subtitle decoder. An output of thevideo decoder is directed to the display device 104, e.g., presenting asequence of frames of video content according to a playback schedule.Likewise, outputs of the other decoders, e.g., the audio decoder, arepresented to other components, such as the audio system 106.

The media processor 102 can include suitable multimedia processingfeatures to receiver, decode, buffer, and present media content to oneor more of the display device 104 or the audio system 106. Themultimedia processing features can be provided, e.g., as applications or“apps,” media players, e.g., Windows® media player, ITunes®, Banshee,just to name a few. (Windows® Media Player and ITunes® are trademarksregistered by Microsoft Corporation, and Apple Computer, Inc.,respectively). The multimedia processing features can include extensiblemultimedia framework, such as, QuickTime®, commercially available fromApple Inc., Cupertino, Calif. (QuickTime® is a trademark registered byApple Computer Inc.). A multimedia framework can offer an applicationprogram interface (API) and a modular architecture to easily add supportfor new audio, video and container formats and transmission protocols.The media content itself can be distributed in a compressed format, suchas by using compression protocols according to the Moving PictureExperts Group (MPEG) audio and video compression and transmissionstandards. Digital audio standards include the MP3 encoding format.

A user 120 a perceives presentation of the media content items at one ormore of the display device 104 and the audio system. For coordinatedaudio-visual content, the presentations are synchronized to provide asensible and comprehensible presentation to the user 120 a. A qualityand/or perceptibility of such presentations of media content items canbe subject to one or more variables. By way of non-limiting example, adisplay of video can be impacted by an environment in which the video isbeing observed. Environmental factors or conditions can include one ormore of illumination of a room, direct glare, e.g., of lighting and orsunlight. Other environmental conditions include a viewing location withrespect to the display device 104, e.g., how far away, how high/low.Environmental factors with respect to audio can include ambient noise,acoustics of a presentation venue, e.g., echoes, user locations, and soforth.

One or more modifications or adjustments can be made in response to anysuch environmental conditions, with a goal of improving an experience ofthe user 120 a during presentation of the media content items. Thus, adisplay illumination or contrast can be adjusted to improve viewabilityduring high or low lighting conditions. Other features can include colorand/or tint adjustments depending upon background lighting, etc., toprovide an improved viewing experience. Likewise, presentation of thesound can be increased, decreased or otherwise adjusted according tocurrent environmental conditions. Such modifications can be implementedby a user 120 a, e.g., by adjusting controls of one or more of the mediaprocessor 102, the display device and the audio system 106.Unfortunately, such adjustments to the controls are applied globally, inthat they impact presentation of audio and/or video adjustments to allusers, e.g., a second user 120 b, observing the same presentation of themedia content item.

According to the techniques disclosed herein, multiplexing can beapplied to one or more of the audio and/or the video presentations toallow multiple users 120 a, 120 b to observe the same subject matter ofa media content item from a common display/and or audio system, whileeach observing the media content item according to a differentadjustment and/or setting. Multiplexing of video can be accomplished,e.g., according to one or more of spatial filtering, temporal filteringor polarization filtering.

Temporal filtering can be accomplished, e.g., by interleaving videoframe sequences of different presentations of the media content item.For example, two distinct presentations of the same media content item,e.g., each adjusted differently to accommodate one or more of thecontent, context, display or viewer conditions, can be presentedsimultaneously, by interleaving successive video frames, or groups ofvideo frames. For example, even frames or even groups of frames maycorrespond to a first presentation; whereas odd frames or odd groups offrames may correspond to a second presentation.

Whether a viewer observes the even frames or odd frames can beaccomplished with special goggles, or glasses having a shuttermechanism. Techniques for sharing a display, such as time multiplexedshared displays are disclosed in Published U.S. patent application Ser.No. 12/579,937, filed Oct. 15, 2009, by Brendan Y. Higa et al., entitled“Method and System for Time-Multiplexed Shared Display,” issued as U.S.Pat. No. 8,446,462, the disclosure of which incorporated herein byreference in its entirety. The shutter mechanism can be synchronizedwith presentation of the video frames, such that a first pair of viewingglasses 122 a allows the first viewer 120 a to observe only the evenvideo frames or even groups of video frames. Likewise, a second pair ofviewing glasses 122 b allows the second viewer 120 b to observe only theodd video frames or odd groups of video frames. Thus, the first andsecond viewers 120 a, 120 b, can observe the same display device 104 apresenting two independent presentations of the same media content item.One can be a presentation of the original media content item; whereas,the other can be a presentation of a modified version of the mediacontent item.

Polarization filtering can be accomplished, e.g., by interleaving videoframe sequences of different presentations of the media content itemconfigured with different polarizations. For example, two distinctpresentations of the same media content item, e.g., each presentationadjusted differently to accommodate one or more of the content, context,display or viewer conditions, can be presented simultaneously, byinterleaving successive video frames, or groups of video frames. Forexample, even frames or even groups of frames corresponding to a firstpresentation are presented with a horizontal polarization; whereas, oddframes or odd groups of frames corresponding to a second presentationare presented with a vertical polarization.

Whether a viewer observes the even frames or odd frames can beaccomplished with special goggles, or glasses having polarizationfilters. A first pair of viewing glasses 122 a having horizontalpolarization filters allows the first viewer 120 a to observe only theeven video frames or even groups of video frames. Polarized light fromthe odd video frames would be blocked by the polarization filters.Likewise, a second pair of viewing glasses 122 b having verticalpolarization allows the second viewer 120 b to observe only the oddvideo frames or odd groups of video frames. Thus, the first and secondviewers 120 a, 120 b, can observe the same display device 104 apresenting two independent presentations of the same media content item.One can be a presentation of the original media content item; whereas,the other can be a presentation of a modified version of the mediacontent item.

Spatial filtering can be accomplished, e.g., using a specialized displaysurface 122 configured to provide independent views of the same mediacontent. For example, the display surface 112 can include a lenticularlens filter applied to the surface of the display device 104. Thelenticular lens can be aligned with the pixel array of the displaydevice in a defined manner, such that regions of the display 104 areprojected according to predetermined viewing angles, allowing more thanone independent viewing angle. The lenticular lenses can be formed as anarray of cylindrical lenses molded in a plastic substrate. When placedover the pixels of the display surface, different columns of pixels,e.g., alternating columns or alternating groups of columns of pixelsproject into different angular regions defined in front of the displaydevice 104, without projecting into other angular regions.

Referring to FIG. 2, a schematic illustration is shown of an example ofa viewing scenario 200 for a lenticular lens display 202. The display202 includes a pixelated display 206, e.g., having a rectangular grid ofpixels according to one or more of a screen size and a resolution. Alenticular lens 208 including an array of cylindrical and/or prismlenses is placed along an illuminated side of the pixelated display 206.The lenticular lens 208 displays a first portion of the pixelateddisplay 206 into a first angular region 212 a, e.g., observable by afirst viewer 220 a, but not by a second and third viewers 220 b, 220 c.Likewise, the lenticular lens 208 displays a second portion of thepixelated display 206 into a second angular region 212 b, e.g.,observable by the second viewer 220 b, but not viewable by the first andthird viewers 220 a, 220 c. The lenticular lens 208 displays a thirdportion of the pixelated display 206 into a third angular region 212 c,e.g., observable by the third viewer 220 c, but not viewable by thefirst and second viewers 220 a, 220 b. Whether the first, second orthird viewers 220 a, 220 b, 220 c observe a particular region, dependsupon the viewer's location with respect to the lenticular lens 208. Inthe illustrative example, three rays 212 a, 212 b, 212 c relatedgenerally to different viewing directions defining regions within whichthe different views can be observed.

In order to project the same media content item into the differentviewing regions 212 a, 212 b, 212 c, the pixels are driven according toa predetermined arrangement. In the simplistic example, a first columnof pixels 204 a provides a column of an image of a first presentation ofthe media content item directed along the first viewing angle 212 a tothe first viewer 220 a. Likewise, a second column of pixels 204 bprovides a column of an image of a second presentation of the mediacontent item directed along the second viewing angle 212 b to the secondviewer 220 b, and a third column of pixels 204 c provides a column of animage of a third presentation of the media content item directed alongthe third viewing angle 212 c to the third viewer 220 c. Alternatingrows of pixels provide the different viewing angles and collectivelyprovide a complete and independent presentation of the media contentitem to each of the three viewers 220 a, 220 b, 220 c.

In the illustrative example, an array of the first columns of pixels 204a are driven by a first driver circuit 210 a, an array of the secondcolumns of pixels 204 b are driven by a second driver circuit 210 b andan array of the third columns of pixels 204 c are drive by a thirddriver circuit 210 c. One or more of the driver circuits 210 a, 210 b,210 c can be driven by a display processor to display a number ofdifferent presentations of the same media content to more than oneviewers simultaneously and independent. Thus, if the first viewer 220 aprefers a vibrant color presentation at high illumination, the firstviewer 220 a can perceive the media content item according to thepreferences. Likewise, if the second viewer prefers a muted colorpresentation at lower illumination, the second viewer 220 b can perceivethe same media content item according to the different preference. It isapparent that some resolution will be lost in such an approach. In theillustrative, ⅓ of the display pixels will be dedicated to presentingeach of the three separate presentations. Thus, any one of thepresentations would have about ⅓ the resolution possible if all pixelswere dedicated to a single presentation. Fortunately, many newerdisplays contain large numbers of pixels arranged in a very highdensity. Some examples of standard resolutions include standarddefinition, e.g., at 720 pixels wide and 480 pixels high. Highdefinition resolutions include a greater number of pixels, e.g.,1920×1080 pixels or 1280×720 pixels, while ultra-high definitionstandards, e.g., UHD includes resolutions of 3840×2160 (e.g., 4×UHDTV),7680×4320 (8×UHDTV). Thus, it would be possible to arrange a lenticularlens 208 in front of a high definition display, while still presentingimages to three simultaneous view angles having at least standarddefinition resolution. With the growth of ultrahigh definitiontechnology, a greater number of multiplexed views and/or resolution willbe obtainable.

According to any of the techniques for sharing the display device 104,special processing can be applied to prepare or otherwise multiplex themedia content before presenting the media content to the display device104. For example, with spatial filtering, processing can be applied toarrange one of the streaming media content or the rendered video framessuch that the columns of pixels present the multiple independent views.Likewise, with temporal filtering, processing is used to interleave theframes according to a shutter sequence, e.g., every other frame, every3^(rd) frame, 4^(th) frame, etc. With respect to polarization filtering,successive frames are adjusted according to the different polarizationsas disclosed above.

The system 100 of FIG. 1 includes a user media content processor 130 ain communication with the media processor 102. The user media contentprocessor 130 a can be an independent device, as shown, or integratedwithin the media processor 102. It is conceivable that a provider mediacontent processor 130 b can be provided by the provider, e.g., at themedia content server 110. Alternatively or in addition, a source mediacontent processor 130 d can be provided at the media content generator,e.g., the studio 116 or at some other location, e.g., a third-partymedia content processor 130 c accessible as a service over the network.

Accordingly, different versions of an original media content item, e.g.,obtained from a studio 116 or a content database 114 can be modified orotherwise processed by the source content processor 130 d. Theprocessing can occur at a time of capture, e.g., during filming and/orpost-production, or at a time of long-term storage, e.g., into the mediacontent database. Thus, different presentations can be prepared, storedand/or disseminated according to the techniques disclosed herein toindependently present multiple views to different users.

In addition to environmental conditions and/or user preferences,personalization of media content items can be accomplished to match aperson's impairments to a presentation. For example, an individualinflicted with color blindness might be unable to distinguish betweencertain colors, such as red and green. In order to improve an impairedviewer's experience, it is possible to adjust the colors, eitherglobally, e.g., for the entire display of the media content item, or forone or more portions of the display.

By way of example, a game show might display a game board depictingcorrect and incorrect answers in the game according to a color scheme. Agreen button, e.g., a green graphic item within the display area, mightsignify a correct response; whereas, a red button or graphic item mightsignify an incorrect answer. With nothing more than a color to go on, aviewer inflicted with red-green colorblindness would be unable todistinguish between correct and incorrect responses and therefore unableto follow the program.

An individual can identify himself/herself as having the red-greencolorblindness infliction. This can be accomplished in any suitablemanner, including by way of a detector 140. The detector 140 can be aseparate standalone device or integrated in one or more devices, such asthe content processor 130 a or the media processor 102. The detector 140can determine the individual and the corresponding infliction, e.g., byuser entry at the detector 140.

Having detected the user 120 a as being present at the display 104 anddetermined that the user 120 a is subjected to the infliction, thecontent processor 130 a can make adjustments to the original mediacontent item, e.g., to substitute the red and green colors with othercolors that are easily perceptible. Such colors might be black andwhite, blue and yellow, or any such suitable colors. The original mediacontent item can be adjusted in whole, e.g., by substituting a colorpalette for the video with colors that are more readily distinguishable.Alternatively or in addition, such color substitutions can be restrictedto an identified region of a display of the original media content. Forexample, the color substitutions in the game show example can berestricted to a display of the game board or similar graphic, withoutmaking color substitutions to other portions of the display image.

Alternatively or in addition, such color substitutions can be made foran entire image, except for one or more identifiable features within theimage. Thus, colors can be substituted, e.g., for red and green,according to a user's impairment to improve presentation of the mediacontent item to the user. However, such substitutions might interferewith certain features, such as faces of individuals. Thus, facialrecognition can be applied during processing by the content processor130 a to allow color substitutions to occur within the entire displayarea, except for any face(s).

By way of non-limiting example, other user inflictions cause a viewer tobecome dizzy or nauseous when viewing certain scenes. Examples includefast moving scenes, e.g., in a blurry scene segment resulting from quickmovement in a video scene. Processing at the content processor 130 a caninclude a means to detect such rapid movement, and in response, adjustthe video frames presented to the display to provide a series of framesin sequence that holds certain frames before progressing to severalframes ahead resulting in a type of stop-motion presentation toeffectively remove the appearance of fast movement. Other examplesinclude jittery scenes, e.g., to simulate news reel footage. Suchjittery or jerky motion can be detected in a scene and filtered orotherwise processed to provide greater stability to the portrayed scene.Yet other processing embodiments for this infliction may involve imagemosaics, e.g., tiling multiple frames to a larger, still, and fixedframe, temporally blurring (or sharpening) the questionable frames. Yetanother embodiment can manipulate frames by identifying matchingsub-regions within a frame and cropping subsequent frames so that acamera-steady appearance is presented to the user.

Other user inflictions include visual impairment, such as astigmatism,sensitivity to light, and so forth. Generally well known image and videofiltering and processing techniques can be applied to otherwise modifythe image to improve perception by a viewer having such impairment.Thus, for a viewer with astigmatism, the image can be processed, e.g.,to sharpen or otherwise enhance edges.

Referring again to the detector 140, any of various techniques can beimplemented to allow the system 100 to determine one or more of apresence of an individual, the identity of the individual, or theparticular condition or impairment to be addressed by the system 100. Insome embodiment, a user nominates himself/herself. The nomination mightsimply be providing a user identity, an association with the useridentity and one or more user impairments and/or preferences having beenpredetermined, e.g., stored in a user profile. The nomination mightfurther include identification of a particular impairment and/orpreference, e.g., “I'm color blind,” or “I am deaf in my left ear.” Thenomination information is passed to one or more of the contentprocessors 130 a, 130 b, e.g., by way of another device, such as themedia server 110.

Any suitable technique can be used to identify one or more of particularindividuals or impairments of users then present during presentation ofthe media content item. By way of non-limiting example, the detector 140can include biometric sensor, such as a voice fingerprinting capability,a fingerprinting capability, a facial recognition capability, a sensor,such as a radio frequency identification (RFID), optical bar code, or QRcode reader, near field scanner, or the like reading a suitableidentifying tag provided by the individual.

Although the examples provided above deal primarily with video, it isunderstood that the similar techniques can be applied to audio. Thus, aparticular user's preference(s) and/or impairment(s) can be identified,such that the content processor 130 a modifies the original mediacontent item to produce a modified content item adapted to improve auser's experience during presentation of the modified media content.Examples of sound processing include one or more of adjusting a volume,a dynamic range, a frequency range, a balance, and so forth.Presentation of the adjusted audio can be provided by the audio system106, and/or by glasses 122 a including headphones. Individual headphonesare well suited to targeting presentation of modified audio to aparticular individual. It is possible, however, using audio processingto direct a modified audio presentation to a particular region, one sideof a room, or a particular location within a room, while providing theoriginal audio content, or separately adjusted audio content, to one ormore other regions of the room.

FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a process used by the mediaprocessing system of FIG. 1. A condition, such as a human impairment isidentified at 302. This can include self-nomination of one or moreviewers, identifying their particular condition or human impairment.This can also include identification of an identity of the individualallowing for determination of condition, preference or human impairmentaccording to a predetermined association with the identified individual,e.g., according to a user profile. In some instances, a content source,such as a studio or a provider, such as the media server 110, canidentify one or more particular conditions and/or human impairments thatcan be offered to a wider audience. For example, adjusting a colorpallet according to red-green colorblindness might have wide appeal, sothe processing can be performed at a video headend, or suitabledistribution point.

A corrective modification to correct for human impairment is determinedat 304. For example, a limited number of generally known humanimpairments can be identified and corrective modifications identified.The content processor and/or the display 104 or the audio system 106 canbe configured with suitable resources, e.g., software, to perform theidentified corrective modifications.

The corrective modifications are then applied to the original mediacontent item at 306. The corrective modifications can be applied at oneor more of the user's media processor 102, the service providers mediaserver 110, a content source, such as a studio 116 or content database114, or by a third party service provider.

The original media content item is presented at the display 104 andindependently viewable by first user at 308. In at least someembodiments, the original media content item, however, is not viewableby a second user subject to the human impairment. The corrected mediacontent item is simultaneously presented to the same display 104independently viewable by the second at 310. In at least someembodiments, the corrected media content item is not viewable by thefirst user so as not to interfere with enjoyment by either partyobserving multimedia from the same display 104.

FIG. 4 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a first communicationsystem 400 for delivering media content. The communication system 400can represent an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) media systemadapted to deliver multiple versions of a media content item toequipment of a subscriber. The multiple versions of the media contentitem include at least one version modified to address a condition, suchas a human impairment, viewing condition or preference according to thetechniques disclosed herein. Communication system 400 can be overlaid oroperably coupled with the system 100 figure of FIG. 1 as anotherrepresentative embodiment of communication system 400. A condition canbe identified that includes a human impairment causing an impairedperception of an original media content item when presented at a mediapresentation device. A modification is determined according to thecondition, such that application of the modification to the originalcontent item results in a modified content item that when viewed by auser experiencing the condition, ameliorates the impaired perception ofthe original media content item.

The IPTV media system can include a super head-end office (SHO) 410 withat least one super headend office server (SHS) 411 which receives mediacontent from satellite and/or terrestrial communication systems. In thepresent context, media content can represent, for example, audiocontent, moving image content such as 2D or 3D videos, video games,virtual reality content, still image content, and combinations thereof.The SHS server 411 can forward packets associated with the media contentto one or more video head-end servers (VHS) 414 via a network of videohead-end offices (VHO) 412 according to a multicast communicationprotocol.

The VHS 414 can distribute multimedia broadcast content via an accessnetwork 418 to commercial and/or residential buildings 402 housing agateway 404 (such as a residential or commercial gateway). The accessnetwork 418 can represent a group of digital subscriber line accessmultiplexers (DSLAMs) located in a central office or a service areainterface that provide broadband services over fiber optical links orcopper twisted pairs 419 to buildings 402. The gateway 404 can usecommunication technology to distribute broadcast signals to mediaprocessors 406 such as Set-Top Boxes (STBs) which in turn presentbroadcast channels to media devices 408 such as computers or televisionsets managed in some instances by a media controller 407 (such as aninfrared or RF remote controller).

The gateway 404, the media processors 406, and media devices 408 canutilize tethered communication technologies (such as coaxial, powerlineor phone line wiring) or can operate over a wireless access protocolsuch as Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), Bluetooth®, Zigbee® or other presentor next generation local or personal area wireless network technologies.By way of these interfaces, unicast communications can also be invokedbetween the media processors 406 and subsystems of the IPTV media systemfor services such as video-on-demand (VoD), browsing an electronicprogramming guide (EPG), or other infrastructure services.

A satellite broadcast television system 429 can be used in the mediasystem of FIG. 4. The satellite broadcast television system can beoverlaid, operably coupled with, or replace the IPTV system as anotherrepresentative embodiment of communication system 400. In thisembodiment, signals transmitted by a satellite 415 that include mediacontent can be received by a satellite dish receiver 431 coupled to thebuilding 402. Modulated signals received by the satellite dish receiver431 can be transferred to the media processors 406 for demodulating,decoding, encoding, and/or distributing broadcast channels to the mediadevices 408. The media processors 406 can be equipped with a broadbandport to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) network 432 to enableinteractive services such as VoD and EPG as described above.

In yet another embodiment, an analog or digital cable broadcastdistribution system such as cable TV system 433 can be overlaid,operably coupled with, or replace the IPTV system and/or the satelliteTV system as another representative embodiment of communication system400. In this embodiment, the cable TV system 433 can also provideInternet, telephony, and interactive media services.

The subject disclosure can apply to other present or next generationover-the-air and/or landline media content services system.

Some of the network elements of the IPTV media system can be coupled toone or more computing devices 430, a portion of which can operate as aweb server for providing web portal services over the ISP network 432 towireline media devices 408 or wireless communication devices 416.

Communication system 400 can also provide for all or a portion of thecomputing devices 430 to function as a media content processor (hereinreferred to as personalization processor 430). The personalizationprocessor 430 can use computing and communication technology to performfunction 462, which can include among other things, identifying acondition including a human impairment that causes an impairedperception of an original media content item when presented at a mediapresentation device. Function 462 also determines a modificationaccording to the condition, such that application of the modification tothe original content item results in a modified content item that whenviewed by a user experiencing the condition, ameliorates the impairedperception of the original media content item. The media processors 406and wireless communication devices 416 can be provisioned with softwarefunctions 464 and 466, respectively, to utilize the services ofpersonalization processor 430.

Multiple forms of media services can be offered to media devices overlandline technologies such as those described above. Additionally, mediaservices can be offered to media devices by way of a wireless accessbase station 417 operating according to common wireless access protocolssuch as Global System for Mobile or GSM, Code Division Multiple Accessor CDMA, Time Division Multiple Access or TDMA, Universal MobileTelecommunications or UMTS, World interoperability for Microwave orWiMAX, Software Defined Radio or SDR, Long Term Evolution or LTE, and soon. Other present and next generation wide area wireless access networktechnologies can be used in one or more embodiments of the subjectdisclosure.

FIG. 5 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a web portal 502 which canbe hosted by server applications operating from the computing devices430 of the communication system 400 illustrated in FIG. 4. The webportal 500 can be overlaid or operably coupled with system 100 and/orcommunication system 400 as another representative embodiment of thesystem 100 of FIG. 1, and/or the communication 400. The web portal 502can be used to facilitate delivery of multiple versions of a mediacontent item to equipment of a subscriber. For example, a subscriber canidentify a condition, such as a human impairment, viewing condition orpreference, causing the communication system 100, 400 to responds byproviding a modified media content item addressing the identifiedcondition. A condition can be identified, for example, that includes ahuman impairment causing an impaired perception of an original mediacontent item when presented at a media presentation device. Amodification is determined according to the condition, such thatapplication of the modification to the original content item results ina modified content item that when viewed by a user experiencing thecondition, ameliorates the impaired perception of the original mediacontent item. The web portal 502 can be used for managing services ofcommunication systems 400. A web page of the web portal 502 can beaccessed by a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) with an Internet browsersuch as Microsoft's Internet Explorer® (a registered trademark ofMicrosoft Corporation), Mozilla's Firefox® (a registered trademark ofthe Mozilla Foundation), Apple's Safari™, or Google's Chrome™ using anInternet-capable communication device such as those described in FIGS.1-2 and 4. The web portal 502 can be configured, for example, to accessa media processor 406 and services managed thereby such as a DigitalVideo Recorder (DVR), a Video on Demand (VoD) catalog, an ElectronicProgramming Guide (EPG), or a personal catalog (such as personal videos,pictures, audio recordings, etc.) stored at the media processor 406. Theweb portal 502 can also be used for provisioning IMS services,provisioning Internet services, provisioning cellular phone services,and so on.

The web portal 502 can further be utilized to manage and provisionsoftware applications 462-466 to adapt these applications as may bedesired by subscribers and service providers of the communication system400.

FIG. 6 depicts an illustrative embodiment of a communication device 600.The communication device 600 can serve in whole or in part as anillustrative embodiment of the devices depicted in FIGS. 1 and 4. Thecommunication device 600 can be configured to receive, coordinate and/ordisplay multiple versions of a media content, including a versionaddressing a condition, such as a human impairment, viewing condition orpreference. A condition can be identified that includes a humanimpairment causing an impaired perception of an original media contentitem when presented at a media presentation device. A modification isdetermined according to the condition, such that application of themodification to the original content item results in a modified contentitem that when viewed by a user experiencing the condition, amelioratesthe impaired perception of the original media content item.

To enable these features, the communication device 600 can comprise awireline and/or wireless transceiver 602 (herein transceiver 602), auser interface (UI) 604, a power supply 614, a location receiver 616, amotion sensor 618, an orientation sensor 620, and a controller 606 formanaging operations thereof. The transceiver 602 can support short-rangeor long-range wireless access technologies such as Bluetooth®, ZigBee®,WiFi, DECT, or cellular communication technologies, just to mention afew. Cellular technologies can include, for example, CDMA-1X,UMTS/HSDPA, GSM/GPRS, TDMA/EDGE, EV/DO, WiMAX, SDR, LTE, as well asother next generation wireless communication technologies as they arise.The transceiver 602 can also be adapted to support circuit-switchedwireline access technologies (such as PSTN), packet-switched wirelineaccess technologies (such as TCP/IP, VoIP, etc.), and combinationsthereof.

The UI 604 can include a depressible or touch-sensitive keypad 608 witha navigation mechanism such as a roller ball, a joystick, a mouse, or anavigation disk for manipulating operations of the communication device600. The keypad 608 can be an integral part of a housing assembly of thecommunication device 600 or an independent device operably coupledthereto by a tethered wireline interface (such as a USB cable) or awireless interface supporting for example Bluetooth. The keypad 608 canrepresent a numeric keypad commonly used by phones, and/or a QWERTYkeypad with alphanumeric keys. The UI 604 can further include a display610 such as monochrome or color LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), OLED(Organic Light Emitting Diode) or other suitable display technology forconveying images to an end user of the communication device 600. In anembodiment where the display 610 is touch-sensitive, a portion or all ofthe keypad 608 can be presented by way of the display 610 withnavigation features.

The display 610 can use touch screen technology to also serve as a userinterface for detecting user input. As a touch screen display, thecommunication device 600 can be adapted to present a user interface withgraphical user interface (GUI) elements that can be selected by a userwith a touch of a finger. The touch screen display 610 can be equippedwith capacitive, resistive or other forms of sensing technology todetect how much surface area of a user's finger has been placed on aportion of the touch screen display. This sensing information can beused to control the manipulation of the GUI elements or other functionsof the user interface. The display 610 can be an integral part of thehousing assembly of the communication device 600 or an independentdevice communicatively coupled thereto by a tethered wireline interface(such as a cable) or a wireless interface.

The UI 604 can also include an audio system 612 that utilizes audiotechnology for conveying low volume audio (such as audio heard inproximity of a human ear) and high volume audio (such as speakerphonefor hands free operation). The audio system 612 can further include amicrophone for receiving audible signals of an end user. The audiosystem 612 can also be used for voice recognition applications. The UI604 can further include an image sensor 613 such as a charged coupleddevice (CCD) camera for capturing still or moving images.

The power supply 614 can utilize common power management technologiessuch as replaceable and rechargeable batteries, supply regulationtechnologies, and/or charging system technologies for supplying energyto the components of the communication device 600 to facilitatelong-range or short-range portable applications. Alternatively, or incombination, the charging system can utilize external power sources suchas DC power supplied over a physical interface such as a USB port orother suitable tethering technologies.

The location receiver 616 can utilize location technology such as aglobal positioning system (GPS) receiver capable of assisted GPS foridentifying a location of the communication device 600 based on signalsgenerated by a constellation of GPS satellites, which can be used forfacilitating location services such as navigation. The motion sensor 618can utilize motion sensing technology such as an accelerometer, agyroscope, or other suitable motion sensing technology to detect motionof the communication device 600 in three-dimensional space. Theorientation sensor 620 can utilize orientation sensing technology suchas a magnetometer to detect the orientation of the communication device600 (north, south, west, and east, as well as combined orientations indegrees, minutes, or other suitable orientation metrics).

The communication device 600 can use the transceiver 602 to alsodetermine a proximity to a cellular, WiFi, Bluetooth, or other wirelessaccess points by sensing techniques such as utilizing a received signalstrength indicator (RSSI) and/or signal time of arrival (TOA) or time offlight (TOF) measurements. The controller 606 can utilize computingtechnologies such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP),programmable gate arrays, application specific integrated circuits,and/or a video processor with associated storage memory such as Flash,ROM, RAM, SRAM, DRAM or other storage technologies for executingcomputer instructions, controlling, and processing data supplied by theaforementioned components of the communication device 600.

Other components not shown in FIG. 6 can be used in one or moreembodiments of the subject disclosure. For instance, the communicationdevice 600 can include a reset button (not shown). The reset button canbe used to reset the controller 606 of the communication device 600. Inyet another embodiment, the communication device 600 can also include afactory default setting button positioned, for example, below a smallhole in a housing assembly of the communication device 600 to force thecommunication device 600 to re-establish factory settings. In thisembodiment, a user can use a protruding object such as a pen or paperclip tip to reach into the hole and depress the default setting button.The communication device 600 can also include a slot for adding orremoving an identity module such as a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM)card. SIM cards can be used for identifying subscriber services,executing programs, storing subscriber data, and so forth.

The communication device 600 as described herein can operate with moreor less of the circuit components shown in FIG. 6. These variantembodiments can be used in one or more embodiments of the subjectdisclosure.

The communication device 600 can be adapted to perform the functions ofthe media processor 406, the media devices 408, or the portablecommunication devices 416 of FIG. 4. It will be appreciated that thecommunication device 600 can also represent other devices that canoperate in the communication systems 400 of FIG. 4 such as a gamingconsole and a media player.

The communication device 600 shown in FIG. 6 or portions thereof canserve as a representation of one or more of the devices of system 100 ofFIG. 1 and the communication system 400. In addition, the controller 606can be adapted in various embodiments to perform the functions 462-466,respectively.

Upon reviewing the aforementioned embodiments, it would be evident to anartisan with ordinary skill in the art that said embodiments can bemodified, reduced, or enhanced without departing from the scope of theclaims described below. For example, the media content processor 130 acan be connected to one or more of the display 104 or the audio system106 to adjust features of presentation of the multimedia content asdisclosed herein. Other embodiments can be used in the subjectdisclosure.

One or more of the exemplary embodiments can ameliorate the impairedperception of the original media content item, where the ameliorationcan improve or make better, in whole or in part, the impairedperception.

It should be understood that devices described in the exemplaryembodiments can be in communication with each other via various wirelessand/or wired methodologies. The methodologies can be links that aredescribed as coupled, connected and so forth, which can includeunidirectional and/or bidirectional communication over wireless pathsand/or wired paths that utilize one or more of various protocols ormethodologies, where the coupling and/or connection can be direct (e.g.,no intervening processing device) and/or indirect (e.g., an intermediaryprocessing device such as a router).

FIG. 7 depicts an exemplary diagrammatic representation of a machine inthe form of a computer system 700 within which a set of instructions,when executed, may cause the machine to perform any one or more of themethods describe above. One or more instances of the machine canoperate, for example, as the personalization processor 430, mediaprocessor 406, the condition identification device 407, the mediacontent processors 130 a, 130 b, 130 c or the condition identificationdevice 140. In some embodiments, the machine may be connected (e.g.,using a network 726) to other machines. In a networked deployment, themachine may operate in the capacity of a server or a client user machinein server-client user network environment, or as a peer machine in apeer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment.

The machine may comprise a server computer, a client user computer, apersonal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a smart phone, a laptop computer, adesktop computer, a control system, a network router, switch or bridge,or any machine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential orotherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. It will beunderstood that a communication device of the subject disclosureincludes broadly any electronic device that provides voice, video ordata communication. Further, while a single machine is illustrated, theterm “machine” shall also be taken to include any collection of machinesthat individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) ofinstructions to perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein.

The computer system 700 may include a processor (or controller) 702(e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU,or both), a main memory 704 and a static memory 706, which communicatewith each other via a bus 708. The computer system 700 may furtherinclude a display unit 710 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD), a flatpanel, or a solid state display. The computer system 700 may include aninput device 712 (e.g., a keyboard), a cursor control device 714 (e.g.,a mouse), a disk drive unit 716, a signal generation device 718 (e.g., aspeaker or remote control) and a network interface device 720. Indistributed environments, the embodiments described in the subjectdisclosure can be adapted to utilize multiple display units 710controlled by two or more computer systems 700. In this configuration,presentations described by the subject disclosure may in part be shownin a first of the display units 710, while the remaining portion ispresented in a second of the display units 710.

The disk drive unit 716 may include a tangible machine-readable storagemedium 722 on which is stored one or more sets of instructions (e.g.,software 724) embodying any one or more of the methods or functionsdescribed herein, including those methods illustrated above. Theinstructions 724 may also reside, completely or at least partially,within the main memory 704, the static memory 706, and/or within theprocessor 702 during execution thereof by the computer system 700. Themain memory 704 and the processor 702 also may constitute tangiblemachine-readable storage media.

Dedicated hardware implementations including, but not limited to,application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arrays andother hardware devices can likewise be constructed to implement themethods described herein. Application specific integrated circuits andprogrammable logic array can use downloadable instructions for executingstate machines and/or circuit configurations to implement embodiments ofthe subject disclosure. Applications that may include the apparatus andsystems of various embodiments broadly include a variety of electronicand computer systems. Some embodiments implement functions in two ormore specific interconnected hardware modules or devices with relatedcontrol and data signals communicated between and through the modules,or as portions of an application-specific integrated circuit. Thus, theexample system is applicable to software, firmware, and hardwareimplementations.

In accordance with various embodiments of the subject disclosure, theoperations or methods described herein are intended for operation assoftware programs or instructions running on or executed by a computerprocessor or other computing device, and which may include other formsof instructions manifested as a state machine implemented with logiccomponents in an application specific integrated circuit or fieldprogrammable array. Furthermore, software implementations (e.g.,software programs, instructions, etc.) can include, but not limited to,distributed processing or component/object distributed processing,parallel processing, or virtual machine processing can also beconstructed to implement the methods described herein. It is furthernoted that a computing device such as a processor, a controller, a statemachine or other suitable device for executing instructions to performoperations or methods may perform such operations directly or indirectlyby way of one or more intermediate devices directed by the computingdevice.

While the tangible machine-readable storage medium 722 is shown in anexample embodiment to be a single medium, the term “tangiblemachine-readable storage medium” should be taken to include a singlemedium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database,and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one or more sets ofinstructions. The term “tangible machine-readable storage medium” shallalso be taken to include any non-transitory medium that is capable ofstoring or encoding a set of instructions for execution by the machineand that cause the machine to perform any one or more of the methods ofthe subject disclosure.

The term “tangible machine-readable storage medium” shall accordingly betaken to include, but not be limited to: solid-state memories such as amemory card or other package that houses one or more read-only(non-volatile) memories, random access memories, or other re-writable(volatile) memories, a magneto-optical or optical medium such as a diskor tape, or other tangible media which can be used to store information.Accordingly, the disclosure is considered to include any one or more ofa tangible machine-readable storage medium, as listed herein andincluding art-recognized equivalents and successor media, in which thesoftware implementations herein are stored.

Although the present specification describes components and functionsimplemented in the embodiments with reference to particular standardsand protocols, the disclosure is not limited to such standards andprotocols. Each of the standards for Internet and other packet switchednetwork transmission (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTML, HTTP) representexamples of the state of the art. Such standards are from time-to-timesuperseded by faster or more efficient equivalents having essentiallythe same functions. Wireless standards for device detection (e.g.,RFID), short-range communications (e.g., Bluetooth®, WiFi, Zigbee®), andlong-range communications (e.g., WiMAX, GSM, CDMA, LTE) can be used bycomputer system 700. (Bluetooth® and ZigBee® are trademarks registeredby the Bluetooth® Special Interest Group and the ZigBee® Alliance,respectively).

The illustrations of embodiments described herein are intended toprovide a general understanding of the structure of various embodiments,and they are not intended to serve as a complete description of all theelements and features of apparatus and systems that might make use ofthe structures described herein. Many other embodiments will be apparentto those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. Otherembodiments may be utilized and derived therefrom, such that structuraland logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing fromthe scope of this disclosure. Figures are also merely representationaland may not be drawn to scale. Certain proportions thereof may beexaggerated, while others may be minimized. Accordingly, thespecification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative ratherthan a restrictive sense.

Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, it should be appreciated that any arrangement calculated toachieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodimentsshown. This disclosure is intended to cover any and all adaptations orvariations of various embodiments. Combinations of the aboveembodiments, and other embodiments not specifically described herein,can be used in the subject disclosure.

In one or more embodiments, a processor (which can include a controlleror circuit) has been described that performs various functions. Itshould be understood that the processor can be multiple processors,which can include distributed processors or parallel processors in asingle machine or multiple machines. The processor can be used insupporting a virtual processing environment. The virtual processingenvironment may support one or more virtual machines representingcomputers, servers, or other computing devices. In such virtualmachines, components such as microprocessors and storage devices may bevirtualized or logically represented. The processor can include a statemachine, application specific integrated circuit, and/or programmablegate array including a Field PGA. In one or more embodiments, when aprocessor executes instructions to perform “operations,” this caninclude the processor performing the operations directly and/orfacilitating, directing, or cooperating with another device or componentto perform the operations.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided with the understanding thatit will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of theclaims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, it can beseen that various features are grouped together in a single embodimentfor the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method ofdisclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that theclaimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited ineach claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subjectmatter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment.Thus the following claims are hereby incorporated into the DetailedDescription, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimedsubject matter.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: identifying, by a systemcomprising a processor, a human impairment, wherein the human impairmentcauses an impaired perception of an original media content item during apresentation of the original media content item at a media presentationdevice; determining, by the system, a media content modification,wherein application of the media content modification to the originalmedia content item results in a modified media content item that whenpresented to the media presentation device ameliorates the impairedperception of the media content item; applying, by the system, the mediacontent modification to the original media content item resulting in themodified media content item; and presenting, by the system, at the mediapresentation device the modified media content item contemporaneouslywith the original media content item, wherein the original media contentitem is observable at the media presentation device by a first userwithout the first user being able to observe the modified media contentitem, wherein the modified media content item is observable at the mediapresentation device by a second user experiencing the human impairmentwithout the second user being able to observe the original media contentitem.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: generating, by thesystem, a first media stream comprising the original media content item;generating, by the system, a second media stream comprising the modifiedmedia content item; and combining, by the system, the first and secondmedia streams, wherein presenting of the original media content item andpresenting of the modified media content item comprises presenting, bythe system, the first and second media streams to the media presentationdevice to cause simultaneous presentation of the original media contentitem and the modified media content item within a common display area ofthe media presentation device.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein thefirst media stream and the second media stream have overlappingpresentations within the common display area, such that the originalmedia content item is independently discernible by the first user andthe modified media content item is independently discernible by thesecond user.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the combining of thefirst and second media streams comprises multiplexing the first mediastream and the second media stream, wherein a de-multiplexing of thefirst media stream and the second media stream causes presentation ofthe original content item at the common display area to be discerniblefrom simultaneous presentation of the modified media content item at thecommon display area.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein thede-multiplexing of the first media stream and the second media streamcomprises applying one of a temporal filter, a spatial filter or apolarization filter.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprisingreceiving an indication of one of a context of the presentation of themodified media content item to the media presentation device, a subjectmatter of the original media content item, an identity of the seconduser, or the media presentation device.
 7. The method of claim 1,wherein the identifying of the human impairment comprises: identifying,by the system, the second user; and determining, by the system, thehuman impairment according to an association between the second user andthe human impairment.
 8. A system, comprising: a processor; and a memorythat stores executable instructions that, when executed by theprocessor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising: identifyinga condition, wherein the condition causes an impaired perception of anoriginal media content item during a presentation of the original mediacontent item at a media presentation device; determining a media contentmodification, wherein application of the media content modification tothe original media content item results in a modified media content itemthat when presented to the media presentation device ameliorates theimpaired perception of the media content item; applying the mediacontent modification to the original media content item resulting in themodified media content item; and presenting at the media presentationdevice the modified media content item contemporaneously with theoriginal media content item, wherein the original media content item isviewable at the media presentation device by a first user without thefirst user being able to view the modified media content item, whereinthe modified media content item is viewable at the media presentationdevice by a second user experiencing the condition without the seconduser being able to view the original media content item.
 9. The systemof claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise: generating a firstmedia stream comprising the original media content item; generating asecond media stream comprising the modified media content item; andcombining the first and second media streams, wherein presenting of theoriginal media content item and presenting of the modified media contentitem comprises presenting the first and second media streams to themedia presentation device to cause simultaneous display of the originalmedia content item and the modified media content item within a commondisplay area of the media presentation device.
 10. The system of claim9, wherein the first media stream and the second media stream haveoverlapping presentations within the common display area, such that theoriginal media content item is independently discernible by the firstuser and the modified media content item is independently discernible bythe second user.
 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the combining thefirst and second media streams comprises multiplexing the first mediastream and the second media stream, wherein a de-multiplexing of thefirst media stream and the second media stream causes presentation ofthe original content item at the common display area to be discerniblefrom simultaneous presentation of the modified media content item at thecommon display area.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein thede-multiplexing of the first media stream and the second media streamcomprises applying one of a temporal filter, a spatial filter or apolarization filter.
 13. The system of claim 8, wherein the operationsfurther comprise receiving an indication of one of a context of thepresentation of the modified media content item to the mediapresentation device, a subject matter of the original media contentitem, an identity of the second user, or the media presentation device.14. The system of claim 8, wherein the identifying the conditioncomprises: identifying the second user; and determining the conditionaccording to an association between the second user and the condition.15. A machine-readable storage medium, comprising executableinstructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performanceof operations, comprising: identifying a condition, wherein thecondition causes an impaired perception of an original media contentitem during a presentation of the original media content item at a mediapresentation device; determining a media content modification, whereinapplication of the media content modification to the original mediacontent item results in a modified media content item that whenpresented to the media presentation device ameliorates the impairedperception of the media content item; applying, the media contentmodification to the original media content item resulting in themodified media content item; and presenting at the media presentationdevice the modified media content item contemporaneously with theoriginal media content item, wherein the original media content item isviewable at the media presentation device by a first user without thefirst user being able to view the modified media content item, whereinthe modified media content item is viewable at the media presentationdevice by a second user experiencing the condition without the seconduser being able to view the original media content item.
 16. Themachine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operationsfurther comprise: generating a first media stream comprising theoriginal media content item; and generating a second media streamcomprising the modified media content item; and presenting the first andsecond media streams to the media presentation device to causesimultaneous display of the original media content item and the modifiedmedia content item within a common display area of the mediapresentation device.
 17. The machine-readable storage medium of claim16, wherein the first media stream and the second media stream haveoverlapping presentations within the common display area, such that theoriginal media content item is independently discernible by a seconduser and the modified media content item is independently discernible bythe first user experiencing the condition.
 18. The machine-readablestorage medium of claim 17, wherein the presenting the first and secondmedia streams to the media presentation device comprises multiplexingthe first media stream and the second media stream, wherein ade-multiplexing of the first media stream and the second media streamcauses presentation of the original content item at the common displayarea to be discernible from simultaneous presentation of the modifiedmedia content item at the common display area.
 19. The machine-readablestorage medium of claim 18, wherein the de-multiplexing of the firstmedia stream and the second media stream comprises applying one of atemporal filter, a spatial filter or a polarization filter.
 20. Themachine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operationsfurther comprise receiving an indication of one of a context of thepresentation of the modified media content item to the mediapresentation device, a subject matter of the original media contentitem, an identity of the first user, or the media presentation device.